SEOUL: Former Big Bang member Seungri (pic) has denied an aggravated assault allegation after a man in his 30s filed a criminal complaint against him.
Seungri acknowledged that he held a liquor bottle during a dispute but insisted he neither swung it nor threatened the man.
According to local media reports on Thursday (Sept 10), police received the complaint on Aug 26, accusing Seungri of aggravated assault, and are looking into the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. He has yet to be questioned.
The former singer was dining with two acquaintances at a restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, when an intoxicated man repeatedly asked to join them. An argument broke out after he declined the request, according to his account.
“It is true that I held a liquor bottle while telling him that I did not want him to join us, but I did not swing it or threaten him,” Seungri was quoted as saying.
He maintained that the two later drank together, exchanged contact information and parted on amicable terms. According to Seungri, the man also sent him a message several hours later saying he would bring a business proposal the following week.
Seungri said he has secured surveillance footage and witness accounts related to the incident and intends to cooperate with police if questioned. He is also considering filing a countercomplaint.
Seungri left Big Bang and the entertainment industry in 2019 as he became a central figure in the Burning Sun scandal, a sprawling investigation that began around a Seoul nightclub affiliated with him and expanded to encompass allegations involving sex crimes, drugs, police ties and other misconduct.
The wider investigation led to his prosecution on multiple offences. He was ultimately convicted on nine charges, including arranging prostitution, gambling, embezzlement and instigating aggravated assault, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He was released in February 2023 after completing his sentence. - The Korea Herald/ANN
